Ironing table



July 28,1959 H. E. HORTMAN, JR

IRONING TABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet J.

Filed April 12, 1950 July 28, 1959 IRGNING TABLE Filed April 12, 1950 4Sheets-Shet g H. E. HORTMAN, JR 2,896,347 I ly' 1959 H. E.;HORTMAN, JR2,896,347

momma TABLE Filed April 12, 1950 f 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J? 1 mi.

July 28, 1959 H HORTMAN, JR 2,895,347

IRONING TABLE Filed April 12, 1950 4 Sheeis-Shee 4 United States. Patenti 1' IRONING TABLE Harvey E. Hortman, Jr., Southampton, Pa, assignor toProctor Electric Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application April 12, 1950, Serial No. 155,435

15 Claims. (Cl. 38-121) The present invention relates to ironing tablesand more particularly to a new and improved ironing tableconstruction.

One object of the invention is to provide an ironing table which can behandled easily by the operator or user and which has provision for easyadjustment to various heights, enabling the user to iron while standingor sitting.

Another object of the invention is-ito provide an ironing table whichmay be manufactured economically and which is adapted for easy assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety mechanism whichwill prevent complete collapse or fold-' ing of the ironing table exceptat the will. of the operator.

Other objects and features of this invention will be apparent from thedetailed description that follows.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the ironing table with port members in theretracted position;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a portion of the ironing table in thevicinity of the rear brace member;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of .a portion ofthelironing table in thevicinity of the center and front braces showing the height adjustmentmechanism; Y

Fig. 6 is an enlarged isometric view of a hinge bracket the sup locatedon the rear brace;

Fig. 7 is a section through the front support along line '77 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of the T-shaped self-leveling foot;

Fig. 9 is a section through the pivotal connection between the front andrear support members; i

Fig. 10 is a section through the height adjustment mechanism;

Fig. '11 is an isometric view of the rack member of the heightadjustment mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary bottom view of the height adjustment mechanism;1

Fig. 13 is a section through the height adjustrnent mechanism takenadjacent to the rack member; i

Fig. 14 is an isometric view of the catch used to hold the supportmembers in their inoperative position; and

Figs. 15 to 17 are views illustrating a preferred manher of handling theironing table.

Briefly, the ironing table of the present invention as shown in Figs. 1and 2 comprises a top construction'l, front and rear supports 2 and 3,and control latches 4 and 5 for adjusting the level of the ironing tableto any desired height or forretracting the supports 2 and 3 so that thetable can be stored. A detailed descriptionof the constructionalfeatures and the mode of operation of a gardless of "unevenness of thesupportingfioor.- This:

latter feature forms the subject of US. Patent No.

2,896,347 Patented July 28, .1959

Ice

ject of my copending application Serial No. 155,436

filed April '12, 1950, now Patent No. 2,663,957, granted December 29,1953.

Ironing table top As described in my said copending application, thetable top 1 is preferably manufactured from a single sheet of steel,being formed so as to have a flat top surface 7, ventilating holes 8,longitudinally disposed ribs or stiffeners 9, and a skirt 10 extendingaround the entire periphery of the top surface and having a curl 11 (seeFig. 4) formed at the lower end thereof. Channel-like braces 12, 13 and14 are secured to the underside of the top surface and to the skirt forreinforcing the top in the transverse direction. These braces areprovided with grooves 15 (see Fig. 4) to receive the longitudinal ribs 9and have side flanges 16 for securing to the top-by spotwelding.Extensions 17 with flanges 18 are disposed at the ends of said bracesfor securing to the skirt 10 as by spot-welding, thereby adding rigidityto the skirt. As will be described hereinafter, these braces also serveas mounting members for the supporting leg assemblies. An additionalstiffener 19 is provided for increasing the longitudinal stability ofthe table top, being arranged to be placed in tension when a load isapplied to the front of the table top. This stiffener is ribbed at 20and is provided with a flange 21 at each end for locking into the curl11 of the skirt (see Fig, 5).

Support arrangement sliding connection with guide members 24 and 25.

The rear support 3 comprises two parallelly disposed tubular members 26and 27 made preferably of tubing of the lock seam type, a cross memberor foot 28 also of similar material secured by welding to the lower.ends of said members, and a solid hinge bar 29 secured to flattenedportions at the upper ends of said members (see Fig. 5). The ends of'bar 29 slida'bly engage the guide members 24 and 25.

The front support 2 comprises a tubular member 30 also preferably madeof steel tubing of the lock seam type, a solid hinge pin 31 fixed to aflattened portion at the upper end thereof, and the self-leveling device6 at the lower end. The pivotal mountingv for hinge pin 31, as shown inFig. 4 and designated by numeral 22, consists of two brackets 33 and 34spot-welded as at 35 to the rear brace 12. The brackets, as shown inFig. 6, have a base portion 36, coextensive side tabs 37 and 38 spacedapart sufiiciently to receive the hinge pin 31, and a tabe 39 adapted tobe folded over the end of the hinge pin to limit end motion and also toretain said hinge pin. The tab 39 is shown in Fig. 6, in the solid lineillustration, prior to assembly of the hinge pin to the table.

It will be noted that both hinge pins 29 and 31 are of substantiallength, to decrease the reactive forces on the hinge brackets 33 and 34and the guides 24 and 25 and so provide a construction having lowfriction and negligible' wear. 1 r i As mentioned previously, theself-leveling device 6 (Figsr 1 and 8) is the subject of theabove-mentioned 1 Hild patent. Briefly, it comprises a tubular member 40.ofcircular cross section with a sleeve 41 fixed thereto.

The sleeve has a slot 42 formed therein for cooperation with a seam 43-(see Fig.7 in the tubular member 30 so as to limit the angular motion ofthe cross-member 40.

- and 25.

A lanced projection 44 is provided in tubular member 30 to cooperatewith an aperture 45 in the sleeve 41 to prevent removal of the crossmember from the said tubular member after assembly.

Both of the cross members or supporting feet 28 and 40 are provided withcup-shaped members 46 placed over the ends thereof. (See Fig. 2.) Thesecup-shaped members are made from rubber or similar material to serve asnon-marking, non-skid floor contacting members. The provision of aplurality of circumferential raised surfaces 47 on members 46 was foundto improve the resistance to skid and shakiness of the ironing table inits operative position.

Pivotal connection 23 (seeFig. 9) includes a short -length of tubing 48fixed by welding in a hole 49 in the 'front'support member 30, and acooperating tube 50 of greater length disposed within tube 48 andsupported in holes 51 and 52 in the parallel tubular legs 26 and 27 ofthe rear support. The tube 50 is retained by flaring its ends as at 53and 54. The short tube 48 maintains the front support 30 in a definitelocation between the tubular members 26 and 27 of the rear support, andin addition provides a generous bearing area for the pivotal connection.

Height adjustment mechanism The vertical disposition of the ironingtable top is to avoid interference with ribs 9 of the table top, and issupported in an aperture 73 in guide member and in apertures 74 and 75in the track 62 and in a bracket 76 (Fig. 12) which is fastened adjacentthe aperture in the track. A torsional spring 77, supported at one endin a hole 78 in a longitudinal rib 9 and at the other end in a hole 79in the slide bar 68, acts to bias the latch member into its latched-inposition. The handle 69 is provided with foot portions 80 which act tospace the handle away from the undersurface of the ironing table top andso prevent possible dislocation of the slide 'bar during manipulation.It will be noted that the handle 69 is spaced in from the skirt 10 ofthe ironing table top, so that even when the catch is pulled out nointerference will be had with any covering that might be used on thetable top.

It thus can be seen that the hinge pin 29 can be released from' any oneof its horizontal positions along the guide members 24 and 25 by pullingthe handle towards the skirt 10 of the ironing table top. This causesthe slide bar 68. to be removed from one of the holes 63 thus permittingthe slide rack 61 to be moved to some other position. Releasing thehandle permits the spring member 77 to restore the slide bar into one ofthe other holes in the slide 61.

Auxiliary release latch The control latch 5 (Figs. 10 and 12) acts as anauxiliary release to prevent the ironing table from collapsing .adjustthe height of the table.

completely during manipulation of control latch 4 to This latch issimilar in construction and supporting arrangement to the control to thebrace members 13 and 14. The flanges of the channel section 55 providethe Ways for the ends of "the hinge pin 29 while the web thereofprevents a sideward displacement of said hinge pin. The flanges 56 ofthe guide members do not extend the entire length of the guide membersfor at 59 clearance space is provided for brace member 19. Cutouts 60are further provided at the end of the guides to permit assembly of thesupport 3 through hinge pin 29 to the table top.

The control latch 4 and a cooperating rack member 61 connected to hingepin 29 and slidably mounted in a track 62 are provided to maintain thehinge pin 29 in any one of several positions along the guide members 24The slidable rack member 61 is formed preferably from a piece of sheetsteel and has a substantially rectangular cross section as shown in Fig.11. Holes 63 are formed as small rectangular apertures in one side ofthe slide member and a U-shaped tackle member 54 is welded thereon,being provided with cutouts at 65 to form the connecting means to thehinge pin 29. In this particular embodiment a sufiicient number ofapertures are provided not only in the rack member 61 to permitadjustment of the ironing table top to operating heights of from 27 to36 inches, but also to provide a detenting action down to the closedposition. The track member 62 is also formed of sheet steel and is ofrectangular cross 1 section to accommodate the rack member 61. Flanges2) for welding to tohe front and center braces 14 and 13.

The control latch 4 (Fig. 1())- comprises a slide bar 68 and a handleportion 69 fastened thereto by .a screw 70 or other suitable means. Asshown in Fig. 12 a bevel 71 is provided at the end of slide bar 68 topermit motion. of the rack member 61 past the latch when it is desiredto raise the table, while preventing any lowering of the table until thelatch is disengaged from the rack.

latch 4, having a slide bar 81 and a handle 82, the bar 81 beingsupported by means of holes in the guide member 24, bracket 83 and track62. A spring 84 serves to bias the latch into'its latched-in position.The slide bar 81, however, cooperates with only one long rectangularaperture 85 in rack member 61 located on the side opposite the heightadjustment holes but in line with the par- .1 ing height.

ticular hole which provides the lowest convenient operat- The aperture85 is of substantially greater length than holes 63 thereby insuringthat the latch has sufiicient chance to fall into the latched-inposition re- ."gardless of the speed at which the table falls if thelegs are accidentally allowed to retract. It will be noted that thecontrol latches 4 and 5 are aligned but on opposite sides of the table,and further that the handles for -the latches do not project beyond theperiphery of the table, nor do they interfere with any cover for theironing'table that might be placed thereon.

To close the ironing table provided with the auxiliary ilatch, theoperator moves both handles 69 and 82 outwardly toward the skirt of theironing table, thereby i. releasing both slide bars 68 and 81 andpermitting the L complete retraction of the support members.

rack member to move freely in the track 62 to permit The raislngoperation for the ironing table is not affected by the i presence of theauxiliary latch.

It should be noted that the ironing table is entirely operative withoutthe auxiliary safety latch or without the length of rack member 61 whichextends beyond the r; table.

. cooperation with the spring-loaded latch bar 68 of latch elongate slot85. These features are of great advantage to the safe usage of thetable, preventing damage to the Like the safety latch, the extra lengthof rack in member 4, prevents damage during retraction or height.adjustment of the table.

Thus, for example, if during retraction of the support members the rack61 has passed f the safety detenting position 85, merely releasing thehandle 69, as one would'be wont to do as a reflex action as'the tablegot closer and closer to the floor, would permit the slide bar 68 tofall into one of the holes 63 L and thereby arrest the foll of thetable.

A. catch 86 (see Fig. 14) is pivotally mounted to the The slide bar isprovided with an offset at 72 (Fig. '10) front, brace 14 and cooperateswith an aperture 88 in The pivotal connection for to provide acontrolled amount of resistance to rotation "1 of the catch. Further, toprevent damage to the tubing of the rear support 3 when the ironingtable is placed into position for storing, rubber sleeves 91 and 92 areprovided on hinge pin 31 of the front support. (See Figs. 2 and 4.)

Assembly In the manufacture of the ironing table the followingsub-assemblies are formed:

(i) The table top comprising the top surface7, the ribs 9 and the skirtportion 10 having the curl 11.

(ii) The height adjustment assembly comprising the front and centerbraces 14 and 13, the guides 24 and 25, the track 62 and the rack 61with shackle 64 mounted thereon.

(iii) The rear brace 12 with the hinge brackets 33 and 34 welded theretohaving the tabs 39 in the solid line position of Fig. 6.

(iv) The leg assembly comprising the front and rear supports 2 and 3pivoted at 23 and including the selfleveling device 6 and the hinge pins29 and 30, and also including the rubber foot members 46 and therubberbumpers 91 and 92 assembled on the hinge 31 of the front support.

During assembly the rear brace assembly (iii) is placed in position, thebrace 19 is locked in under the curl 11 through its flanges 21, theheight adjustmentassembly (ii) is placed in position, and the latchmembers 4 and placed into accommodatingslots. The braces 12, 13, and 14are then welded simultaneously to the table top 1. This operation isusually followed by application of a surface finish on the partsassembled thus far. The leg assembly (iv) previously surface finished isassembled to the table top by inserting the ends of the hinge pin 29into the guides 24 and 25 through the openings 60 and into cutout 65 inthe shackle 64 attached to the rack member 61. The hinge pin 29 is thenslid along the guides until the hinge pin 31 can be inserted into hingebrackets 33 and 34. Thisis followed by bending the tabs 39 over the endof the hinge pin 31. After this bending operation, removal of the legassembly from the top through openings 60 in guide members 24 and- 25becomes impossible because of the distance provided between the hingepins 39 and31 in their fully collapsed position. The assembly is thencompleted by placing the latch springs 77 and 84 into position.

Operation There are several methods of setting up the ironing table; apreferred procedure will be explained herewith with reference to Figs. 3and 15 to 17. Assumethat the ironing table is standing in its Verticalposition resting upon rubber foot members 46 of the rear support 3. Toset the table in its operative position, the operator first releasescatch 86 and then pulls the cross member of the front support 2 awayfrom the ironing table top (see Fig. 15). This causes the hinge pin29'to ride in guides 24 and 25, the rack 61 being alternately engagedand disengaged by the latch members. The user then rotates the tableabout the crossmember 28 of the rear support until the front support 2engages the floor (see Fig. 16). If it is desired to elevate the tabletop to a position higher than that resulting from this firstmanipulation, the user either lifts the table top thus permitting theweight of the legs to efiect further motion of the hinge pin along theguides or pulls the crossrnember 40 farther away from thetable top. Ifit is desired to lower the table top as, for instance, if theoperator'desires to iron in a sitting position, pulling handle 69 towardthe skirt It! will release the slide bar 62 from the rack member 61 andpermit the board to be lowered by its own weight to a lower position.

i the rear support.

It will be noted that the longitudinal axis of? the support members 2and 3 is not at the center of theironing table top, thus providing agreater" amount of knee room on one side of the ironing tablefor theconvenience "of the user when it is desired to iron in the sittingposition.

The user can easily store the ironing table by using the followingprocedure (see Fig. 17); placing of one foot on the crossrnember "28 ofthe rearsupport 3, grasping of the safety release latch handle 82 in onehand and the adjusting latch handle 69 in the other; pulling saidhandles toward the adjacent skirt portions of the table andsimultaneously permitting the rear of the table to rotate about theusers hands until in coincidence with The collapsed table can then'berotated about the rear crossmember 28 into the vertical position forfastening the catch 86 into holer88.

The in-line arrangement of the handles 69 and 82 and their particularlocation along thetable top provide the convenient fulcrummingarrangement for utilizing the slight unbalanced weight of the rear endof the table to effect easy retraction of the support members withoutany awkward motions on the part of the user. The handle locationpresents a further convenience for it issuch as to require a minimum ofbending on the part of the user during this storing operation.

It will be noted that the use of support members of circularcross-section permits free rotation of the ironing table about the rearsupport, and thus allows a very simple procedure to be used for bothraising and lowering the ironing table without necessity of lifting ofthe full weight of the table. Further, it provides self-compensatingmeans for the floor-contacting members for the different angulardispositions of the supporting members 2 and 3 at diiferent heightadjustments for the table.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, the invention is not limited thereto but is capable ofvarious modifications and other embodiments.

I claim:

1. An ironing table, comprising a table top, a collapsible supportstructure for said top, a track on said top and a cooperating slide rackon said support structure to permit adjustment and collapse of thesupport structure, said rack having spaced apertures on one side and anelongated aperture on the other side, a height adjustment latch on saidtop cooperative with saidspaced apertures to hold said support structurein different positions to give different operating heights of thetable,and an auxiliary latch on said top aligned. with said first latch andcooperative with. said elongated aperture to prevent complete collapseof said supporting structure during adjustment thereof between operativepositions.

2. An ironing table having a table top and two support members pivotedalong their lengths and so arranged that when completely collapsed thereis a predetermined distance between the top portions thereof, the topportion of one of said members arranged to be pivotally connected to thetable top, the top portion of the other of said support members arrangedfor insertion in guide ways fixed to the table top through openingsprovided in the said ways, the spacing between the pivotal connectionand said openings being greater than the first mentioned distance, andmeans for securing the top portion of the first support member in thepivotal con nection after insertion of the top portion of said secondsupport member into the guide ways through the openings providedtherein.

. 3. In an ironing table, a table top, two support mem porting bracketson said table top having bendable tabs for supporting and retaining thehinge pin of one of said support members, guides on said table top forslidably supporting the hinge pin of the other support member, saidguides having cut-outs for insertion of the last-mentioned hinge pin, atrack on said table top, a rack member slidable in said track and havingshackle means engaging said last-mentioned hinge pin, and latch meanscooperative with said rack to establish and maintain differentadjustments of the ironing table.

, 4. In an ironing table, a table top, two support members pivotallyinterconnected intermediate their ends and having hinge pins forconnection to said table top, supporting brackets on said table tophaving bendable tabs for supporting and retaining the hinge pin of oneof said support members, guides on said table top for slidablysupporting the hinge pin of the other support member, said guides havingcut-outs for insertion of the last-mentioned hinge pin, and resilientstop means on the firstmentioned pin engageable by said other supportmember when the ironing table is collapsed.

5. In an ironing table, a table top having ribs formed therein, two endbraces and a center brace fixed to the table top for strengthening theiron table in a transverse direction, said braces having slots toaccommodate the ribs, hinge brackets fixed to one of the end braces, twoguide members and a track member of equal length fixed between thecenter brace and the other end brace, a' rack slidably'mounted withinthe track, adjustable support members connected to said hinge bracketsand to said guide members, and means including said rack for controllingadjustment of said support members.

6. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a table top, a pairof pivotally interconnected crossed legs providing an adjustable andcollapsible support structure for said top, a fixed pivot connectionbetween said top and the upper end of one of said legs, a slidable pivotconnection between said top and the upper end of the other leg, manuallycontrollable latch means including interengageable elements connected tosaid top and justments of the table, and means including interengageableelements connected to said top and the slidable pivot connection forlimiting the movement of the slidable pivot in the direction away fromsaid fixed pivot to prevent collapse of the table while in use, thelimiting element connected to said top being biased to an effectiveposition to limit the said movement of said slidable pivot when thetable is set up for use but being movable by I the user to anineffective position to permit complete collapse of the table when it isdesired to discontinue use thereof.

7. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a

i table top, a pair of pivotally interconnected crossed legs providingan adjustable and collapsible support structure .for said top, a fixedtransverse pivot pin connection between said top and the upper end ofone of said legs, a transverse pivot pin connected to the upper end ofthe other leg, retaining guide means on said top slidably supporting thelast-mentioned pivot pin, manually controllable latch means includinginterengageable elements connected to said top and the slidable pivotconnection for retaining the slidable pivot pin in different positionsto- -p rovide different height adjustments of thetable, and

means including interengageable elements connected to said top and theslidable pivot connection for limiting the movement of the slidablepivot pin in the direction position to permit complete collapse of thetable when it is desired to discontinue use thereof.

8. An ironing table according to claim 7, wherein said tabletop isprovided with longitudinally-spaced trans- I verse braces, and saidguide means extends between two of said braces and is secured thereto.

9. In an adjustable, and collapsible ironing table, a

the slidable pivot connection for retaining the slidable t 'pivot indifferent positions to provide different height adtable top ofsubstantially uniform width over the greater part of its length andhaving a tapering portion forwardly beyond the portion of uniform width,a pair of interconnected crossed legs providing an adjustable and col- 7lapsible support structure for said top, a fixed transverse pivot pinconnection between the rearward part of said top and the upper end ofone of said legs, a transverse pivot pin connected to the upper end ofthe other leg, retaining guide means on said top extending lengthwisethereof from a forward location within said tapering por-- tion to alocation in the vicinity of the longitudinal center of the table top,andslidably supporting the last-mentioned pivot pin, and an adjustmentmechanism for estaband a cooperating latch member connected to theupper' end of said other leg.

10. An ironing table according to claim 9, wherein said manual controlmember is provided with a handle disposed below and within the confinesof the table top.

11. In an ironing table, a table top, two transverse end braces and atransverse center brace fixed to the table top for strengthening theironing table in a transverse direction, hinge brackets fixed to one ofthe end braces, two guide members and a track member fixed between thecenter brace and the other end brace and extending longitudinally of thetable top, a rack slidably mounted within the track, adjustable supportmembers connected to said hinge brackets and to said guide members, andmeans including said rack for controlling adjustment of said supportmembers.

12. An ironing table, comprising a table top, a collapsible supportstructure for said top, a track on said top and a cooperating slide rackon said support structure to permit adjustment and collapse of thesupport structure, said rack having spaced apertures on one side andanother aperture on the other side, a height adjustment latch on saidtop cooperative with said spaced apertures to hold said supportstructure in different positions to give different operating heights ofthe table, and an auxil-' iary latch on said top cooperative with saidother aperture to prevent complete collapse of said supporting structureduring adjustment thereof between operative positions.

13. An ironing table, comprising a table top, a collapsible supportstructure for said top, a track on said top and a cooperating slide rackon said support structure to permit adjustment and collapse of thesupport I structure, said rack having spaced apertures along a sidethereof, a height adjustment latch on said top slidable transversely ofthe top to extend into any one of said spaced apertures to hold saidsupport structure in different positions to give different operatingheights of the table, and spring means biasing said latch intoengagement with said rack.

14. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a relatively longand narrow table top to be positioned at various heights, including lowheights for sit-down ironing, during use of the table, a supportingstructure comprising a pair of legs pivotally interconnectedintermediate their ends and extending lengthwise of the table, saidsupporting structure being of sufficiently narrower width than said top,and being laterally offset in relation to the longitudinal axis of saidtop sufiiciently, at least in those portions to be disposed in thevicinity of the users knees, to provide room for the knees opposite saidportions beneath the top and thereby permit use of the table forsit-down ironing, a fixed pivot connection between said top and one ofsaid legs, a sliding pivot connection between said top and the other legto enable adjustment and collapse of the table, manually-controllablemeans for retaining the slidable pivot in different positiop when thetable is set up for use, enabling the positioning of said top at variousheights including low heights for sit-down ironing, and feet portions onsaid legs constructed to provide stable support for the ironing tabledespite the aforementioned laterally offset relation.

15. In an adjustable and collapsible ironing table, a relatively longand narrow table top to be positioned at various heights, including lowheights for sit-down ironing, during use of the table, a supportingstructure comprising a pair of legs pivotally interconnectedintermediate their ends and extending lengthwise of the table, saidsupporting structure being of sufficiently narrower width than said top,and being laterally offset in relation to the longitudinal axis of saidtop sufl'iciently, at least in those portions to be disposed in thevicinity of the users knees, to provide room for the knees opposite saidportions beneath the top and thereby permit use of the table forsit-down ironing, a fixed pivot connection between said top and theupper end of one of said legs,

a rigid transverse member of substantial length connected to the upperend of the other leg, means pivotally and slidably connecting saidmember to said top at points spaced substantially transversely of thetop, whereby to enable adjustment and collapse of the table and toprovide rigidity and stability at the slidable pivot connection,manually-controllable means for retaining the slidable pivot connectionin different positions when the table is set up for use, enabling thepositioning of said top at various heights including low heights forsit-down ironing, and feet portions on said legs constructed andarranged to provide stable support for the ironing table despite theaforementioned laterally offset relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS223,404 St. Clair Jan. 6, 1880 232,100 Zwiebel Sept. 7, 1880 260,210King June 27, 1882 431,530 Rock July 1, 1890 1,121,744 McLaughlin Dec.22, 1914 1,161,407 Northrup Nov. 23, 1915 1,359,527 Reed Nov. 23, 19201,976,031 Lowenberg Oct. 9, 1934 2,432,192 Gaudette Dec. 9, 1947

